Russia holds parliamentary election as war with Ukraine drags on

Polling stations opened early Friday in Russia's Far East, marking the start of a three-day election where President Vladimir Putin's party is almost certain to win again. This contest happens as the nation enters its fifth year of war with Ukraine. It serves as Russia's first parliamentary vote since Moscow sent troops across the border back in February 2022. The conflict has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.

Only parties that back Putin and his Kremlin-led military push have been allowed to run. Moscow even organized voting inside occupied parts of Ukraine. While few Russians doubt United Russia will sail to victory, this vote gives the Kremlin a chance to measure public support for the war. The effects of that fighting are hitting home harder than ever before this year.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin issued a grim reminder of the ongoing battle on Friday. He stated that Russian forces destroyed dozens of Ukrainian drones heading toward the capital overnight. 'More than 350 UAVs flew towards the Moscow region between 8.00pm (5pm GMT) on September 17 and 7.00am on September 18,' Sobyanin told Telegram. Most were destroyed at an outer defensive perimeter, though some 64 were shot down as they approached the sprawling city.

The vote to renew the 450 seats in the Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, will run until 6pm GMT on Sunday. The Kamchatka peninsula and Chukotka, located on the Pacific side, are among the first of Russia's 11 time zones to begin casting ballots. Cadets from the Maritime State University named after Admiral Gennady Nevelskoy received their papers at a polling station in Vladivostok during this opening day.

Putin has ruled Russia since New Year's Eve 1999, and his United Russia party has dominated politics since the early 2000s. The Kremlin tightly controls these elections, bringing few surprises. Criticism of the Ukraine campaign is banned. United Russia faces only parties that support most of Putin's policies and the war itself: the Communist Party, the nationalist LDPR, A Just Russia, and New People.

Yabloko, which called for an end to the fighting, was barred from running shortly before the vote. One of its main figures, Lev Shlosberg, is currently imprisoned for criticizing the war. Apostol, a 20-year-old Muscovite, told AFP he 'did not see the point' in voting for anyone but United Russia because they will 'win anyway'.

Tatiana Stanovaya, a France-based Russian political expert, noted that Putin likes to compare his political situation with those in European countries. She added that this allows him to always say, look, we had an election.

She told AFP that she benefits from such significant Russian support. It matters personally, emotionally, and politically to him for sure. Without public debate or allowed protests, this vote acts as a barometer. The Kremlin will read it as a gauge of public frustration with the endless conflict. Putin wants Russians to show troops millions stand behind their fighters. He asks them to give a common answer to those who want to weaken Russia.

The war has broken Moscow ties with the West. Massive economic sanctions have hit Russia hard this year. Ukrainian strikes now reach the Urals and Siberia. They cause billions of rubles in damage and civilian deaths deep inside Russia. Ordinary Russians feel this pain more than ever before. Political opponents have mostly fled into exile already. Alexei Navalny, a main opponent who once brought thousands to streets during elections, died in an Arctic prison in 2024.

Russia's exiled opposition told anti-Kremlin Russians not to boycott the election. They said people should vote against Putin's party instead. They published recommendations on who to back in which region. Navalny's widow Yulia Navalnaya also called for anti-war Russians to vote at noon on Sunday. Yabloko disagreed with this approach though. Its chairman Nikolay Rybakov argued it was better not to vote. He asked if they should go like sheep dancing to their tune. They would be voting for those who caused deaths in Russia and Ukraine.

Some fear the post-election period will bring a new military mobilisation. This could happen similar to 2022 when Putin called up 300,000 reservists. That hugely unpopular move led to an exodus of draft-age men out of Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the Kremlin of planning a fresh mobilisation campaign this autumn. Putin has denied that suggestion outright so far.